


the warmest color

by rhapsodyinpink



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Post Season 3, the blues!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 09:46:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11826168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapsodyinpink/pseuds/rhapsodyinpink
Summary: Lance understands why Allura is afraid to let her guard down around anyone, even Blue.In the middle of an intergalactic war, there’s no room for vulnerability or weakness.But he wants her to know that it's okay to open up.





	the warmest color

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ErinNovelist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinNovelist/gifts).



> A belated birthday fic for my dear friend [Erin](http://voltrash.tumblr.com). I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it! Allura and Lance are so endearingly sweet together and I really loved writing this for you. 
> 
> Also: a special shoutout to [Gabie](http://breeeliss.tumblr.com) for giving me the initial idea and to [Justine](http://flusteredkeith.tumblr.com) for being a great cheerleader throughout!

Despite being treated to a tasty dinner courtesy of Hunk and finally beating Pidge at Killbot Phantasm Five, Lance still feels out of sorts.

If he’s honest with himself, it’s because things are still a little weird, as much as he’d like to pretend otherwise. Nothing seems quite right, and Lance isn’t quite sure how to handle it.

Shiro’s back, but it seems like whatever happened out there while he was gone has taken more of a toll than anyone realized. He almost seems like a stranger.

Keith, too, is subdued. Though Lance has noticed him start to embrace his leadership skills, he still seems ambivalent about his role as the new Black Paladin, especially since the Black Lion rejected Shiro upon his return.

On the surface, everything seems like it should be fine. But Lance knows better. Like placid looking water with a vicious current flowing underneath, Lance knows that there’s always a risk of being pulled into the riptide.

And though he knows that the many changes that have taken place over the past few months have officially deigned him the Red Paladin, he lets his feet lead him to Blue’s hangar instead.

When he gets there, he finds that he is not the only one seeking comfort from Blue’s warm, familiar presence.

Allura turns around as she hears his footsteps and her eyes widen with surprise.

“Lance! What are you doing here?”

He smiles and waves. “Just wanted to say hi to Blue here. It’s been awhile since I talked to my favorite lady.”

“Careful, Lance. Do you really want to risk the chance of angering the Red Lion?”

“Nah. Everyone knows Keith is still Red’s favorite. I can’t compete with Mullet-head,” Lance responds with an easy shrug.

Allura rolls her eyes. “Will you ever stop making fun of his hair?”

“Never,” replies Lance emphatically. “Not until he changes that outdated style.”

He grins as she laughs in appreciation. “You’ll never change, will you?”

They fall into an amiable silence.

“So...did you come here to talk to Blue?”

Allura bites her lip and looks down with a small sigh.

“Not exactly...I came here in hopes of bonding with the Blue Lion, but I’m afraid I’m not making adequate progress.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve seen you out there— you’re doing great. You’re picking up things way faster than I ever did when I was starting out. You’re a real natural.”

Allura smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Thank you, but I don’t mean in terms of combat. You see, I still feel disconnected from the Blue Lion. I do feel that I have made some progress, but not nearly enough. I still lack the sense of ease you had with her, and well— I was hoping to try again tonight.”

She falters, and Lance feels a pang of sympathy thrum inside his chest.

“Do you...have any suggestions?”

He looks more closely at Allura, taking in details he hadn’t noticed before. She’s wearing an expression that’s equal parts frustration and determination, her restless hands and feet betraying her impatience at her perceived lack of improvement, though she’s clearly making an effort to look composed in front of him.

Despite everything, it’s clear that she’s still nervous about where she stands with Blue, and it’s obvious that her anxiety about being a successful paladin is getting in her own way.

Lance wants to help. He wonders if there’s an easy way to help Allura figure out how to let her guard down.

“Well, okay, so...Blue loves listening to you talk about your day. She doesn’t judge.”

Allura frowns. “How do you mean?”

“She likes it when you’re open and honest with yourself. She’s happy to see you, you know? She just wants to know what’s on your mind. You can cuddle right up to her and complain about things going wrong or whatever.”

“I don’t understand...is it essential to discuss my weaknesses with her to strengthen my bond with her? My father never mentioned anything about this.”

“No, no! That’s not it. Blue is like...a giant cat friend. Honestly, if you’re ever upset, just spend an hour just lying on her paws and venting. You’ll feel so much better afterward. She’s a great listener.”

“I’m not sure...I usually reserve such private topics for Coran. Shouldn’t I try to make sure my time with Blue is productive?”

“Trust me, Princess. Blue will understand.”

Allura still looks uncertain.

If Lance is perfectly honest with himself, it’s not hard for him to understand why she is afraid of opening up to anyone, even Blue. It’s a sense of self preservation borne of constant danger; in the middle of an intergalactic war, there’s no room for vulnerability or weakness.

It’s essential to preserve team morale, to present a composed presence in front of everyone and to inspire and lead.

But nobody can be infallible 24/7, especially a paladin on the front lines of battle.

Allura might not be human, but it doesn’t make her a goddess, even though she looks like one.

He still remembers the panic in her voice when they were lost in Thayserix. She might have ultimately been the one who ended up rescuing all of them, but he will never forget the sheer desperation he could feel emanating from her very core.

Though Lance knows there’s not much he can personally do to keep that from ever happening again, he wants to do what he can.

“Hey,” he says, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You can do this. You’re the Blue Paladin. She chose you for a reason. She believes in you.”

Allura nods slowly. “Okay.”

“So you have to believe that she’ll be there to catch you if you fall.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow what you’re trying to say.”

Now is the time Lance wishes he had Shiro’s innate ability to both teach and motivate, or Pidge’s particular skill in distilling complicated concepts into easily digestible ideas.

What used to make things so smooth and easy with Blue was the fact that he could rely on pure instinct to tell him what to do next, because Blue always met him halfway. As long as he followed his intuition, she helped him figure out the next step.

Lance isn’t sure how to put this into words.

But then, it occurs to him that maybe— maybe he can teach by example.

He moves away from Allura and turns his gaze to Blue.

“Hey girl, it’s been a long time. I miss you. Do you miss me?”

He looks back to Allura, who is staring at him quizzically.

“Are you waiting for her to answer?”

Lance shakes his head and presses a finger to his lips.

“Nope. I’m giving you a demonstration.”

He turns back to Blue.

“I’m doing my best to move on. Red moves like a dream...flying her, I understand why it’s Keith’s favorite thing to do. But it’s not the same. And I know it’s important to move on, but everything still seems a little off, and I still don’t feel comfortable talking to Red about it. I don’t want her to think I’m whining or that I’m ungrateful for being chosen to be her new paladin. But it’s weird, you know? I’m not even wearing her colors. I’m wearing yours. And a big part of me just wants things to go back to the way they were.”

Lance starts to pace, feeling Allura’s eyes boring into the back of his head as he circles around the hangar.  

“But that would mean taking Allura’s place, and I’m not okay with that either. So I’m going to figure out how to work through these feelings, even though it won’t be easy. What do you think?”

He stops back in front of Blue, who remains as silent as ever.

Allura looks back and forth between them, brows furrowed.

“Now what?” she finally asks, arms akimbo.  

Lance smiles and moves behind her, spinning her around to face Blue and placing her hands against the cool metal of Blue’s front paws.

“Now you try. Just look up at her and tell her how you feel.”

This close, he can feel the warmth emanating from Allura’s cheeks, and though he’s standing behind her and can’t see them, Lance is sure they’re flushing the prettiest shade of pink.

But he refrains from saying anything to call attention to them; now is not the right time to ruin Allura’s moment with some dumb pickup line.

He lets go of her hands and falls back, watching quietly as she takes a deep breath and releases the tension in her shoulders.

“Hello, Blue. I must admit I’m not sure what exactly to say to you, but I’m told this will help us strengthen our bond.”

Allura pauses and looks down. “I think that is what frightens me the most. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know the right answer. And I don’t know what’s going to happen. I have far less experience as a paladin than the others. What if I take the wrong step? What if there are dire consequences? The team will suffer and I will be directly responsible for it. But I know that these fears are irrational. I know I am not alone, and that even though I may not always make the right decisions, my fellow paladins will be there to support me.”

She turns to face Lance, and his heart skips a beat at the earnestness in her gaze.  

“I must learn to believe in my own courage, and— learn not to be afraid of falling. Will you help me get there?”

He manages to reply with a strangled “Of course, Princess,” before he remembers she is talking to Blue and not him.

Allura doesn’t seem to mind.

She laughs, radiating joy. “Thank you. I don’t know why, but I think you were right. I do feel a little closer to the Blue Lion now.”

Lance feels a sense of sheer contentment and pride at her accomplishment. He knew she had it in her. She always has.

And then her face turns pensive.

“Lance…”

“Yes?”

“I feel that you are nervous about something. What is it?”

And there it is. The elephant in the room he had prayed in vain that she wouldn’t notice.

“Oh, uh...nothing special,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “Probably just all the stress. I haven’t had time to do a facial for at least a week and it’s killing me.”

It’s a lie. Lance knows exactly what she’s talking about, though he hasn’t even spared a moment to let himself actually hope about his chances.

“I know there must be a reason why you came to the Blue Lion’s hangar. It could not have been just to help me. I distracted you from your main purpose.”

It is so much easier to flirt with pretty aliens fawning over a heroic figure they don't actually know than to face the possibility of truly falling in love with someone he doesn’t even deserve.

“To be honest? I’m not sure I can put it into words.”

Allura’s expression is pure concern now, and he can’t take it. He can’t even look her in the eyes.

And yet— what kind of a paladin is he if he can’t even summon the courage to tell the woman he loves how he really feels about her? Regardless of how she reacts, she deserves to know the truth.

Allura watches Lance quietly as he twists his hands and avoids her eyes. He wonders if she can hear his heart beating as loudly in his chest as he can. He wonders if he, too, can gather the courage to share how he really feels—

And then Hunk’s voice comes echoing into the hangar through the rafters.

“Lance? Lance! Where are you? Coran says it’s your turn to clean out the healing pods and I am _not_ covering your shift again!”

He groans, mourning the loss of their privacy. But duty calls.

Still, Lance feels the urge to confess like a shuddering ache in his chest, pressing against his heart, the words ready formed, waiting to fall from his tongue.

Now is his last chance to leave before he says something he can’t take back.

“So hey, I’ve gotta go, but I hope you’re feeling better. Things will turn out the way they’re supposed to. All you need is a little faith in yourself and—.”

“Lance,” Allura interrupts, her voice simultaneously gentle and commanding.

The spark of the paladin bond flows between them as she places her hand on his shoulder to keep him from leaving, and he can feel a thousand unspoken words floating in the space between them.  

So he stays.

And he tucks his hand underneath her chin and slowly lifts it up.

“If it makes a difference, you still rock my world.”

Allura’s eyes are clear and bright.

She says nothing, but the smile on her face as she closes the distance is louder than any words.

And so Lance finally leans in, slowly, gently, not allowing himself to even consider the chance that she might still push him away.

A soft, nervous giggle escapes from Allura’s lips as he moves closer, but her eyes are fluttering shut and she’s pressing her hands against his chest and the air is sweet and warm as his lips brush against hers and his brain shorts out before he even has a chance to marvel in the fact that she really wants him too.  

It briefly occurs to Lance that he's going to get in big trouble for skipping cleaning duty yet again.

But while he's wrapped in the arms of the girl of his dreams, he finds it hard to care.

  


**Author's Note:**

> come scream at me about all things voltron on [tumblr](http://longhairpidge.tumblr.com)!


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